(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to eyeglass frames and more particularly to means for readily changing the appearance and/or style of a pair of eyeglass frames.
(2) Prior Art
Maintanance of appearance and keeping up with style has always been a concern, and probably more so with people who wear eyeglasses. It is an object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass assembly which is readily adaptable to changes.
Hairstyles, colors, clothes and their tones, shapes and characteristics are changeable, literally from one day to the next. The eyeglass is something different. It has not been so adaptable.
Some attempts have been made however, to do something about eyeglasses. U.S. Pat. No. 1,235,842 to Reagan discloses a pair of goggles having a split frame to facilitate lens assembly therewithin. U.S. Pat. No. 2,471,338 to Massaro discloses an eyeglass frame which permits lenses to be interchanged from one pair to another, the frame having a hinged portion which opens to permit receipt of a lens therein. This is a somewhat delicate, expensive and complicated arrangement for swapping frames for a single pair of lenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,479,754 to Marks discloses a three piece frame for lenses where broken lenses are frequent. The components of the frame are hinged so as to be openable to permit replacement of a lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,594,395 to Castelli discloses a two piece eyeglass frame held together by a plurality of rivet-like pins. U.S. Pat. No. 2,781,693 to Bromby shows an eyeglass frame with interchangable lenses, each brow lens-retaining bar being hinged at their outer end, to the frame, to permit the lens to be removed from a channel shaped frame enclosing the lower portion of each lens. It is a further adaptation of a complicated and expensive eye piece frame.
H.R. Lutes received U.S. Pat. No. 2,786,391 on a lens frame sub-assembly which is mountable in a larger brow piece assembly, to accomplish a change in fashion from one brow piece assembly to another.
R.L. Smith et al were granted U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,460 for a snap-together frame permitting a user to exchange one frame for another for decorative reasons.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,869 was issued to Pluznik et al for an expansible frame so that lenses may be changed without additional tools, the frame being held together by a compression spring at each corner, permitting the frame to be biased apart so as to enlarge the opening for release of a/the lens(es).
E. Amaru received U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,802 discloses a lens frame which when one side of it comes unscrewed. the frame can be bent away to permit exchange of its lens.
Solomon was granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,252 for an eyeglass frame which includes a turnbuckle arrangement for spreading apart the lens enclosing frame portions, to permit the lenses to be exchanged by hand rotation of that/those turnbuckles.
A drawback of all the eyeglass frames encountered in the prior art, where fashion or decoration dictated the change, lenses were swapped from one frame to another. No attempt has been shown to add a feature in a simple and inexpensive manner to an existing eyeglass frame.
It is an object of the present envention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass frame assembly which can be adapted to any of various styles, sizes or colors chosen by the eyeglass wearer.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass frame assembly which can be changed or decorated in a simple, inexpensive and convenient manner.